Love like Ice
by FeatherArmour
Summary: Elsa is a teenage girl, trapped in a sick cycle of abuse with her step-father. Anna is the new girl on the block in Arendelle. Will Elsa finally open up to someone for the first time in her life? Will love free her from her living hell? Or will she crash and burn trying to hide it... (AU. Elsa/Anna NOT related.)
1. Prologue

_Hello readers of Fanfiction :)_

_Seven years prior to this date, I used Fanfiction to share my writing with people. Gonna' give it a shot again._

_So! I'm a bit rusty, but I hope you enjoy it._

_[Elsa X Anna] [NON-INCEST] AU_

_Rated M+ for violence, rape, drugs, dark themes and lemons in later chapters_

_To put it short: Elsa is a teenage girl, trapped in a sick cycle of abuse with her step-father. Anna is the new girl on the block in Arendelle. Will Elsa finally open up to someone for the first time in her life, or will Elsa finally crumble from it all?_

_(THIS IS AN UPDATED + EDITED VERSION OF THE PROLOGUE.)_

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Prologue

In a fit of pain and anger, the divine, blonde youth slammed the door to her bedroom where she'd entered. She stood still for a moment, staring at the messed sheets on her bed. That bed reminded her of so many foul memories. Memories of '_him_' and what he'd do to her when he so pleased. Her fists were balled and shaking, eyes wetting in the corners. "Don't cry, Elsa," she muttered to herself. "Don't cry..."

Her knees felt weak from the polka-dotted bruising on her calves and thighs. Had she not been so proud, she'd have buckled and fallen to the ground in an emotional mess. But she knew that tears wouldn't save her from this living hell. What was the point in crying?

She raised her shaking fists to eye-level and gently relaxed her grip, flexing her fingertips as she studied the various patterns of burns and thin, red slits up her forearms. The aftermath of what she'd endured that day was bad. All she could consider was how she'd hide it.

"Elsa, I didn't hear that door slam, did I?" came the voice of a muffled, older male from behind her bedroom door. She knew this man to be her step-father Duke. Her guardian and 'keeper'. She'd been living with Duke since her mother died three years prior... that is if 'living' is what you'd call it.

"Elsa, did you hear me?" the voice repeated.

Her heart skipped a beat. She'd zoned out for a moment and forgot Duke had been standing there beyond the door. She was trying desperately to suppress the pain from what she'd just endured for the last hour. He claimed it was 'love' and 'affection', but she knew better. There was nothing 'loving' about it. "Yes, I'm sorry, sir. I heard you," she calmly replied with a dry gulp.

"Open the door, please, dear," said the cynical male.

Why did she slam that God damned door on the way in? Why did she let her pain and frustration show? She knew now he'd make her pay for it. She had no choice but to let him in. Earlier that day he'd summoned her to his living-quarter, outraged that his 'daughter' had failed to attend school the day before. The girl could barely move herself from the bed! But it didn't matter. Any excuse was good enough for Duke to punish her. But today, specifically, he'd made a mess of her...

Elsa mustered the strength to open her bedroom door. When she did, she was greeted with a haunting, cruel smirk from her step father. The elder male was wearing a black night-gown, concealing his old, tired body. His grey hair had started to recede and a finely trimmed mustache framed his, thin, wide mouth. All the while, she felt his eyes hungrily looking her up and down. She felt like a slab of meat in the presence of a starving wolf.

Duke pushed past her, closing the door. He paced her bedroom, studying the messed sheets on her bed. "Do you want to play a game?" he asked, arching his brows. The question was more rhetorical than you'd think. Elsa didn't really _have _a choice...

"What game would you like to play, sir?" she asked quietly.

"I quite enjoy father-daughter games!" he said enthusiastically, turning to face her. "It makes me so happy when you truly accept me as your father. And I truly _love_ acting as such to you."

"I know you do," she muttered assertively, staring straight through him.

"Come, come. Sit on the bed," Duke said, ushering her over to the mattress.

Like a soulless vessel, Elsa complied and sat where she was directed, on the edge of the bed. When she looked up, she found herself staring blankly at her reflection in the mirror across the room. She hated having that mirror opposite her bed. But Duke put it there on purpose so that she couldn't 'escape' the reality. She was lost for a moment, staring at herself. Her hair was starting to fall out from the beautiful braid she'd crafted that morning.

She watched the reflection of the older man climbing onto the bed, shedding his night gown like a snake-skin as he did. She closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath. '_He wont take long... just calm down. Don't think about it,' _she told herself. She felt his lips connect with the skin on her neck, sending shudders down her spine. The dry kisses repeated in dabs to her shoulder, then to her throat. The bed started to rock gently to a rhythm as Duke gently pulled at his cock.

"I-I love you, Elsa," he mumbled against the skin on her throat.

She died a little inside, forcing the words, "I love you too..." It killed her every time she'd say it. She'd said it every day for three years. That's how long this had been going on for...

She could tell from his breathlessness and the quickening rhythm of the rocking bed that he'd soon force her to pleasure him.

"Ah. Good girl," the elder hummed. "Now fucking _show_ me how much you love me," he said.

Duke roughly grabbed the young woman, forcing her back-first on the bed, into a suitable position to straddle her waist. He paid no respect to the elegant, white gown she was wearing. He pulled and reefed at it until he'd exposed her breasts and nether region.

"Tell me how much you want it," he groaned, adjusting himself atop of her. Before she could answer he'd force himself inside her, groaning deeply as his entire cock was consumed.

She winced in pain. He'd hurt her, but of course he didn't care. A part of her soul was burning away like an ember. "I want what you want, sir," she lied, biting her lip. She was used to this routine. The words were always the same and always empty...

Elsa laid on her back, fighting the urge to cry as the elder vigorously withdrew and trusted his manhood inside her repeatedly. She felt blood draw from her lip from biting too hard. She hated herself for allowing this to happen and she hated him more for doing it to her. But she didn't know what else to do... if she said 'no', he'd make her feel pain – the cuts, the bruises, you name it. If she tried to tell anyone about it, they would never believe her. She had tried once already with the neighbours. Mr and Mrs Whimsgate were their names. Elsa had escaped through her bedroom window and made break for it from the second floor. But when she'd told them what was happening, they wouldn't believe a word of it. Everyone was so hung up on the windowed man story. They would all say, 'poor Duke – he lost his beloved wife to cancer'. It probably didn't help that Duke was running Arendelle's charity events to raise funds for the cancer foundation. So the night Elsa had told Mr and Mrs Whimsgate about her abusive stepfather, they bitterly told her that 'lying is wrong' before returning her home to him. That night would have been the most painful night she'd endured since losing her mother... she could not walk for almost a week, and the burns and lashes were so bad that Duke had kept her home from school out of fear someone would see the extent of the damage he'd inflicted to her body...

She mulled over those memories, flinching with every thrust that Duke made. She stared at that mirror... staring at the reflection of her rocking body. She didn't even feel human...

It was wrong...

But there was nothing she could do.

'_It'll be over soon, Elsa,'_ she told herself in thought. '_Just think about the good thoughts... don't think about the pain, or what he's doing. And for the love of God, don't cry in front of him. He doesn't deserve that. He doesn't deserve you...'_

This room was her prison.

This mansion at the end of Weselton Street...

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_:) Hope this has people interested in reading!_


	2. Chapter 1

Hey readers! I am so sorry that this chapter took so long. It had been finished for a while, but I didn't have a chance to upload it. Real life issues, blah blah blah.

Future chapters WILL NOT take as long as this one did. So again, I am sorry :)

Anyway! Hope you enjoy! :)

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CHAPTER 1

"Anna, get up, you're going to be late!" came a distant, motherly voice.

Anna (barely hearing the wake-up call) rolled over in her bed, groaning as she pulled the sheets over her head like a cocoon. Her hair was a mess and the pillow was saturated in drool. It was brand new pillow too! "I'm awake," she half-lied, slowly easing into a snoring slumber again.

Anna was just your typical, kind, fun (and somewhat bubbly) teenage girl, making her way through the world with a pretty open outlook on life. It was just her and her mother living together. Anna never had any siblings, and her parents divorced when she was ten. She would only see her father once every Christmas or birthday, so it was probably a bit strange that Anna didn't have a very close relationship with her mother, but that suited Anna just fine. The girl had no trouble making friends and after their recent move to Arendelle three days ago, she'd now have to.

"Anna, I'm serious! If you miss the bus, I'll have to drive you! You can't be late on your first day of school!" the voice came nearer to Anna. It was now in her room, making its way to her bedside wearing heels that 'clicked' and 'clacked' against the floorboards

"Mum! I'm awake, I promise!" the flame-haired youth yelled from beneath the covers.

"No, you're not. And if I don't get you up, you'll sleep for the next three hours!" said Anna's mother with a hand on her hip. She was beautiful for the age of forty-three – hair as vibrant as her daughters and milky, white skin decorated with freckles. A moment passed and Anna's mother ripped the covers away from Anna. "Up, up, up!" she shouted, dropping the quilt to the floorboards.

Anna's body quickly recoiled into a tight ball when the shocking morning chill brushed her skin. "Whyyyy!?" she gurgled. "It's too cold."

"Because you're going to meet new people, make new friends and have a good time!" her mother said confidently, staring at the array of empty cups and bowls around Anna's bedside. Her nose wrinkled in disgust. It looked like something was _growing _there! No, the girl wasn't dirty within herself, but she didn't particularly care much for keeping her bedroom space clean. That explained the small mound of clothes piling up in the corner of her room.

"You want me to meet new people and make new friends so you can just take me away again when I finally get close to people?" Anna argued. She didn't _really _think that way. But any argument was good enough if it could keep her in bed for another minute.

"We wont be moving for a long time. I promise," said her mother.

"Bah! Fine! I'm up" the girl sat upright like a zombie animating from a grave site. Her eyes were blinking out of sync and her cheek was covered in a layer of dry drool.

"Here!"

Before Anna could react, a small package of clothing hit her in the face. That woke her up a bit. "What!? Hey!" she scolded, grabbing the clothing items.

"Put it on, Anna! I'm not going to ask you again," said her mother.

Anna lazily unfolded the uniform and looked at it for now the second time in her life. It didn't look as bad as the first time she'd seen it in the fitting rooms... you know... if you were schooling at a military facility, I mean.

"I expect you downstairs and ready to go in ten minutes, Anna! I'm serious! No more warnings."

Anna tiredly nodded her head, stretching her arms and yawning as her mother exited the room. She flopped out of bed, shuddering at the touch of the cold floorboards. That was the biggest struggle of the morning. She changed into her daily attire and fixed a cherished bracelet to her wrist – one she had received from her best friend Elizabeth before leaving her last hometown. They'd still keep in contact through Skype and Messenger... but it would never be the same as it was.

Quickly, she brushed her teeth and ran a comb through her mess of tangled hair until she could tie it in a presentable pony-tail.

She was ready for her first day at Arendelle High. She slumped her backpack over one shoulder and bolted down the stairs. "You're gonna' miss that bus, Anna," her mother said frustratedly from the kitchen area.

"I wont!" Anna said enthusiastically, hopping on one foot as she tied her second shoelace. "See ya' when I get home!"

"You're forgetting you're lunch," her mother said drearily.

Anna stopped in her tracks, mere moments before taking her leave. "Oh, ha! I am too!" she grinned sheepishly at her mother. With a quick side-sprint to the kitchen, Anna swiped the food contents from the counter-top that had been provided for her and stuffed them into her backpack.

"It's still snowing outside – did you pack your gloves?" her mother asked worriedly.

"Yeah, yeah! They're somewhere in my bag!" Anna yelled out.

She dashed for the door and made a quick sprint from the house-front to the snow-lumped curb. Luckily for her, the bus stop was only five houses down from hers and _just _pulling up at the bus bay! She felt herself almost slip on the icy pavement as she shot toward the bus. "Shit, shit, shit!" she scrambled, barely making it before the last passenger boarded. She was at a loss of breath and her hands were already numbing from the cold. When the bus driver asked for her pass, it took her a while to get out the words, "It's my first day..." to be permitted.

The bus was packed tighter than sardines in a can. Almost every seat was full. All of the other teens there were wearing the same, dull, grey uniform, finished with an almost black blazer. Unlike Anna, it looked like people already knew each other. It was obvious from the light-hearted talking that there were established groups and friendships. '_This is going to suck,' _she told herself.

Anna eyed off a vacant seat toward the back of the bus and made her way to it. A handsome blonde male occupied the seat by the window. He was staring out through the frosty glass and hadn't yet acknowledged that she'd sat down beside him. Anna of course had no trouble greeting the stranger. "Hey!" she grinned at him.

The boy turned to look at her. "Hey," he said, looking somewhat confused. "You're uh... you're talking to me right?" he jabbed his thumb into his chest.

"Who else would I be talking to? I'm looking at you aren't I?" she continued to grin, wide-eyed and alert. "My name's Anna. I'm new to Arendelle! Moved in with my mum three days days ago."

"Oh, sorry," said the blonde male. "The name's Kristoff. Friends just call me Kris..." he bowed his head a little, pouting his lip to mutter, "Or Toffy... But either one is good!"

"Toffy? That's you're nickname?" said asked, taken back a little by the oddity of it.

"Well, it was Kristoff when we were eight. That kinda' evolved into Toff when we were thirteen... and my ex called me Toffy, thinking it was 'cute', so it kinda' stuck as a joke," he shrugged his shoulders. "Is Anna short for anything?"

Anna half smiled. "Nope. Just plain, old, boring Anna."

"What about Na-Na? Like a banana?" Kristoff looked pretty pleased with himself and the terrible suggestion.

"No." Anna's face couldn't guise her disapproval. "Just no."

"Sorry – that was stupid and awkward." Kristoff craned his neck in a small circle, rubbing the back of it with his hand.

"Maybe you can make it up to me with some life-saving school tips, since I'm new and all!" said Anna.

The boy pondered. "Uh... life-saving tips? Okay. Hmm..." he trailed, leaning forward against his knees. "My advice is, 'don't eat the cafeteria food'. Bring your own lunches because that shit is lethal. I ate cafeteria food once as a dare from my best mate Hans. Had diarrhea for a whole week..."

Anna's face scrunched. "Ew..."

"Yeah. It was nasty. Brown and squirty like bad ketchup."

"I ate chunky milk once?" The girl winced mentally. She was trying to sympathize, but it ended up coming out not quite sympathetic. She just sounded awkward. "Sorry, _that _was stupid and awkward," she said, laughing at her idiocy.

"Why would you eat chunky milk?" Kristoff stared at her with worry.

"Same thing. I was dared to by my best friend Elizabeth and I did! Except... I wasn't really sick afterwards, so I should probably be worried," Anna laughed.

"Hey, maybe that's a good thing! Maybe that means you're immune to the cafeteria food!"

Anna laughed harder, only this time at her new company. "Maybe! So, how old are you, Kristoff?"

"Turning eighteen this October!" he announced proudly.

"So you're in your final year of high-school too?" the girl beamed.

"Sure am. How about you?"

"Same boat. Except I only _just _turned seventeen..."

"Sucks to be you," Kristoff joked. "Any guy on the scene? Not out of interest!" he quickly explained. "Just curious."

"Mm. Dabbled in something small with my friend back home in Icerow, but it wasn't ever serious," she said. "Just a friend with... benefits, I guess?" That was partially a lie. The particular boy she had on her mind went by the name 'Fin'. He was friends with both Anna and Elizabeth since the day Anna moved into their old neighbourhood at the ripe age of fifteen. The handsome young male shared her desire to explore and sexually experiment, but never a desire to be more than just friends... as much as it sucked for Anna, it was just a harsh reality that love sucked. She knew that she wasn't ready for love and after feeling the heat of the emotion, she had no intention to seek it if she could avoid it... Thankfully, Elizabeth was never aware of Anna's and Fin's scandal.

Anna and Kristoff continued general, harmless banter for the remainder of the trip, until the bus finally pulled up at the bus shelter of Arendelle High. The large, brick walls around the circumference of the school gave it an almost prison-like feeling, stretching on for as far as Anna's eyes could scope. '_What the hell is wrong with this place?' _she thought, looking down at her uniform again. '_A little colour could never hurt someone. Geesh!'_ She rolled her eyes.

Kristoff walked with her, following the mass crowd of students that piled out of the arriving buses. They came to tall archway reading, 'Arendelle High' on its cemented plaque. A formation of snow-covered garden beds guided a generous path through to a corridor of halls and lockers. Students were fumbling like mad to open their locks and take their selected books and materials to their first class of the day. Anna's last school didn't have lockers. She hated lugging that bloody backpack around all day.

"You'll probably need to go to the student service center," said Kristoff.

She'd zone out again, walking mindlessly in a straight path by her new acquaintances side. "What?" she snapped back. "Where's that?"

At that moment of her question, Kristoff was approached by a fellow student, cheerfully greeting him with a 'bromantic' hug, almost completely knocking him off his feet. Whilst Kristoff was broad and built sturdily, the fellow youth was taller and thinner framed. His hair was dark chestnut but _just _as unkept as Kristoff's. Must have been the trend in Arendelle. "Toffy! My man, what's the news today?" said the taller male, not noticing Anna standing there.

"Hey Hans. First class with , eugh!" Anna watched the blondes face sourly scrunch.

"That's rough. Wanna' give it a miss and hang out by the courts instead?" the chestnut boy suggested. Anna looked at him. The guy looked wired. Was he on drugs or something?

"Really can't, Hans. Can't afford to get any further behind than I already am. Gah! Why does History have to be so hard!?"

"Who's your friend?" Anna averted her eyes as Hans attempted to make contact. Maybe he hadn't noticed that she was practically staring at him.

"This is Anna. She's new here," Kristoff introduced, gesturing to the young woman. "Anna, this is my best mate, Hans!"

Anna flicked her eyes back to the handsome brunette, grinning sheepishly as she offered her hand out to shake. "Oh. Uh! Nice to meet you, Hans!" she squeaked.

"Anna?" the brunette flashed a gentleman's smile. "Beautiful name. Nice to meet you!" He took her hand and quickly plucked his lips to her knuckles. She knew she looked awkward again. She hated that she couldn't ever hide how she was feeling.

Anna was blushing. Something about Hans reminded her of Fin. Maybe it was his charisma? Maybe it was the height and hair? Well, whatever it is, it immediately set off alarms throughout her body. Cautious alarms maybe? '_Don't fall for this same shit again, Anna,'_ she told herself. The last thing she wanted was to fall into the same trap she had with Fin.

Anna didn't realise she was doing it, but she was staring straight at Hans again, watching him yabber away. He had been talking the entire time and Anna hadn't heard a thing he said. "-Only if you want to," he finished, flashing her a pearly smile.

She stood there a little dumbstruck. '_Shit...'_ she thought. '_I haven't heard a bloody thing he's been saying!' _"Oh, uh - sure!" she said. "Wait. Sorry – what am I agreeing to?"

Hans brow's creased. He looked at Kristoff with a 'what the fuck?'-worn expression. "Just hanging out at school. Letting me take you to see a movie or something to show you around Arendelle tonight," he said. "As I said – not a date though – just a friendly 'get to know you' thing and help you out."

"Oh! Right, right. Yeah, definitely! I love movies and exploring new places and stuff!" God dammit Anna. Why was she so trusting of people?

She shifted the weight of her backpack to her other shoulder as an attempt to distract herself. She was doing it again: unable to hide how she was feeling. But she felt so flattered. "So uh, the office! Where can I find it?" she arched a single brow.

"Just follow the corridor straight down," Kristoff directed with a finger. "There's a huge sign that says 'Student Centre'. You can't miss it!"

"Thanks!" said Anna.

"Oh – if you _do _wanna' just sit with us and chill, you'll always find us around the fountain," said Kristoff.

"I'll remember that," said Anna, quickly running off.

After a short trek, passing halls upon halls of lockers, she'd found her way to the student office, heart thumping heard from running. She walked in and approached the front desk, looking between the two receptionist women that sat there as they professionally tapped away at their computers. When the younger, brunette woman noticed Anna standing there, she asked, "How can I help you, dear?" The second woman was a _lot _older, clearly defined by her severe, grey regrowth and deep set wrinkles.

"Oh! Hi, uh! It's my first day!" Anna said nervously. Why the hell did she feel nervous?

"Oh, in that case, you'll need to speak with the vice principle. His office is the last door on the left down that there hall!" she said, pointing a finger to Anna's left.

"Thanks!"

She was buzzing with energy. She didn't want to be late to her first class. As she closed the distance of the hallway with a fast sprint, she couldn't halt quickly enough before barging straight into a young woman exiting the vice principles office.

The two collided with an abrupt impact, tumbling to the floor, with Anna landing atop the young woman like a cushion. When Anna came to her senses a moment later, she pushed herself up on her hands and briefly looked down, locking eyes with she woman she was awkwardly atop of. The youth was... stunning. Her hair was as white as ice, and skin flawlessly moon-kissed. She'd obviously enhanced herself with make-up – mascara, eye liner, lilac eye shadow, lipstick and blush – none of which Anna cared enough about applying to herself.

Anna's stomach was in a mess of knots. The embarrassment of crashing into someone so beautiful (and straddling them) sent her face a bright cranberry red. She desperately scampered to get off the blonde, apologizing profusely, "I am _so _sorry! Holy shit! Did I hurt you? I just – I wasn't looking – I'm new, I know that's no excuse, but I thought I'd be late and-"

"Calm down. It's fine," the blonde said calmly, picking herself and scattered books up from the floor.

"I didn't hurt you, did I? This is awkward, even for me-" she sounded ridiculous and she knew it.

"I'm fine," the blonde forced a tight-lipped smile. "Are you okay though? Your face is bright red."

"Me? Oh! Pft!" Anna laughed. "Yeah! I'm fine! One hundred percent! Two-hundred percent! It's probably the lighting making me look red! But I'm perfectly fine!" '_Really Anna? The LIGHTING?' _she wanted to slap herself in the face. But why did she care?

The blonde covered her mouth with her fingertips and emitted a quiet, tamed laugh. "If you are sure." The blonde bowed her head courteously. "Well, I hope that Arendelle High treats you well." The blonde woman took her leave.

But a small part of Anna desperately reached out through her throat, continuing to speak before the woman had left ear-shot. "My name's Anna."

The blonde slowly turned around, wearing a half-smile. "Elsa," she said. But that was all. She turned around again and continued to walk away despite Anna eagerly standing there and watching her. Anna wanted to continue talking. It was a strange feeling... the desire to _want _to know someone had never been so... entrapping.

"Miss Anna Johnston?"

Anna jumped alertly to the vice principles voice. "Yes! I'm here!" she announced.

"You can come in," he said.

Anna stared at the blonde woman until she was completely out of sight. With that, she complied and entered the vice principles office, throwing down her backpack on the way in.

The man wasn't as old as his voice suggested. He would have been in his mid-twenties, relatively well-built and only slightly taller than Anna. He was holding an assortment of paper in his hands, glazing his eyes over them while he spoke, "Welcome to Arendelle High, Anna. I hope you're not too nervous about your first day here."

"A little," she said.

"We'll do our best to help you settle in. This is your timetable and everything you'll need," he said to her, handing her the slab of paper. "We keep the hall open at lunch with the heating on during the colder days to provide our students some comfort. But you're welcome to have lunch where you please." He told her the basics that a vice principle would normally say to a new student. He gave her a run-down on how things would work, the facilities she could use and the times those facilities were open. The cafeteria was available to all students between the hours of 11:00am to 11:30am and then again between the hours of 1:30pm until 2:00pm. The pool was accessible during all school hours and for 3 hours post the 3:30pm finishing time. After assigning Anna her locker, she was set for her new start! Having a locker was amazing. She shoved all her _crap _into it and didn't have to worry about dragging that bloody bag around all day! It was also pretty handy that the locker she'd been assigned was situated _right _beside the school entrance.

The first class of her day was English. Anna loved English. It was a subject she was naturally good enough at to bludge in class. It didn't take Anna long to become familiar with the map of the school she'd been given, so it took her a short five minutes to find her classroom. Upon walking into the room and pulling the door closed behind her, Anna was greeted warmly by the teacher 'Mrs. Haddon'. It was the stereotypical English teacher: She was well spoken, wore thinly framed reading glasses, and short 'old-lady'-style hair despite looking younger than thirty. "You must be Anna," the woman greeted.

"That's me! Nice to meet you."

"Likewise, dear. My name is Mrs. Haddon. Our curriculum here at Arendelle High may be slightly different the the curriculum at your previous school. So if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask me." She grinned. "Now, first thing you must know! I always have my students sit in Alphabetical order according to their surname! It just helps me get to know my students a lot quicker. So you are miss..." the woman paused, raising a sheet of paper to eye-level. "Johnston? Miss Anna Johnston? You will be seated by..." the elder woman scanned her eyes across the classroom, pucking her lips in thought. "Elsa Khole – on the very end there, please," the teacher instructed.

Anna's stomach dropped. She followed the teachers finger and surely enough, she had been directed to an empty seat in the back row beside the blonde beauty she'd bumped into earlier.

This couldn't have just been a coincidence...

"Take your seat please, Anna, so that we may resume our class," said Mrs. Haddon. "Have you already started your reading of Hamlet?"

"Uh... no – we were studying Macbeth at my old school," she explained.

"No matter," the teacher hummed. "Miss Khole," the teacher started. The blonde woman froze stiffly in her seat. "Would you please help Miss Johnston here just for our class today, until she has time to catch up on her reading?"

"Of course, Mrs. Haddon," the blonde answered politely.

"Excellent!" said Mrs. Haddon.

Anna gulped and made her way around to the back of the room, quickly sliding into her assigned chair, trying not to make eye contact with the blonde. She found her eyes inevitably flicking across to the young beside her. The blonde sat with such a regal posture, unmoving.

But Anna quickly gave in. "Hey," she whispered.

Elsa slowly looked to Anna with a once more half-smile. "It's nice to see you again," she said gently. "And thankfully the lighting isn't red in this room, so I can actually see what you look like," she added.

Anna felt herself starting to blush again. '_Great...'_ she thought. "Yeah – thank goodness for that!"

Elsa half-laughed. "You're beautiful," she whispered.

'_Wait, did she really just say that?' _A woman had never complimented Anna on her appearance before. Especially not a complete stranger so enchanting as her. "B-Beautiful?" she stuttered. "You said I'm beautiful?" When the blonde youth nodded, Anna's stomach fluttered violently. '_What the hell is wrong with me?' _she thought to herself. "T-Thank you – I think? You're stunning. I mean that in a completely normal and not-perving on you kind of way. And of course you already know that! Ha!" She could feel herself burning up. She would have been beet red again. "Wow, I'm sorry. This is weird. Not you! I mean me. I'm weird. I just made this conversation weird, didn't I?"

"Not at all," said Elsa, chuckling playfully. "So when did you move to Arendelle?"

"I moved here three days ago with my mum."

"How are you coping?" Elsa's smile persisted.

"Better now," said Anna. "Just meeting people and starting fresh, you know? It's been a big ball of – yeesh! Met a couple of guys in the morning – Kristoff and Hans I think their names were. Heard of them?"

"Heard of, yes," said the blonde.

"Are they cool guys?"

"I don't know either of them well enough to answer that." Elsa slid her copy of Hamlet between hers and Anna's desk to that Anna could read along. "Do you know the main concept of Hamlet?"

"Tragic revenge plot, right?" Anna grinned sheepishly.

"So you know it?"

"Just a guess. I've seen enough of The Simpsons to have an idea."

Elsa choked back on a laugh, pressing her fingertips to her mouth. "The _Simpsons?_" she asked.

"Yeah! Don't tell me you _don't _know what The Simpsons is!?" Anna looked concerned.

"No, no. I know what it is, I just don't watch much television," Elsa explained.

"You don't watch television? What do you _do _with your evenings!? You must go out with friends and do normal-teenage-stuff. Am I right?" Anna grinned at the blonde.

But Elsa's expression dried into concern... or something that looked like it. "Something like that," she answered.

_'Shit, I hope I didn't offend her...' "_Well_,_ you seem really nice. I was thinking maybe we – you and I – could hang out after school or something? Even during school on our lunch break?"

Elsa's concern faded and her face froze in a state of shock.

Anna panicked. What had she said wrong!?

"I'm sorry... but I can't," said Elsa.

"Oh – uh. Already have plans?" Anna asked, trying not to sound desperate.

"I just can't," Elsa repeated firmly, looking away from Anna.

Rejection. That's what Anna was feeling. It must have been obvious to Elsa that she'd offended Anna, because it was her who continued speaking. "I'm sorry," said the blonde. "You seem like a very nice girl, Anna. You don't want to mix yourself up with the wrong kind of people."

"Wait, what? Are you referring to yourself as the 'wrong kind of people'? You seem fine to me," said Anna. "I'm a pretty open-minded person. I don't judge!"

Although she tried, Elsa couldn't maintain eye-contact. She got up from her seat and gathered her belongings – all except her copy of Hamlet. "I'm sorry," she repeated. And then she took her leave...

Anna sat there in her chair, dumbstruck and confused beyond belief. Even Mrs. Haddon looked mildly puzzled, but she didn't question it. The teacher just continued to instruct the other students. "Let's brainstorm our understanding of Act One!"

'_Maybe she thought I was being sarcastic? I didn't sound sarcastic, did I..?'_ Anna asked herself. '_I mean, all I asked was what she did for fun... didn't I?' _she mulled over the entire conversation she'd had with the blonde youth for the remaining forty minutes of the lesson, staring at the copy of Hamlet that Elsa had left behind. '_I guess I'll have to return this to her anyway.' _

She walked on her own through a gentle snowfall toward her next classroom at the opposite end of the school. It was Biology. She followed the map and surely enough found her destination within time of her next teacher arriving. The male was extremely tall, and quite chubby. His name read 'Mr. Finkle' on her timetable. A barrage of students scuffled into the room as it was unlocked, shoving to get the best seat possible.

"Hey, Anna! Fancy being in the same class as you," came Kristoff's voice.

Anna turned and greeted the young boy with a friendly wave. "Hey, Toffy!"

"You wanna' be lab partners?" he asked. "My lab partner's in hospital."

"Depends. Is he in hospital due to anything related to being your lab partner?" Anna grinned mischievously.

"Nah! Some kid pushed him over the balcony from the third floor."

"Oh, shit," Anna bit her lip. "That's horrible."

"Yeah. The little dead-shit was a ninth grader. He was expelled. Anyway! Let's get cookin, shall we?"

Kristoff entered the classroom with Anna following behind. They sat and stationed together at a desk near the front of the room. The teacher (Mr. Finkle) formally introduced himself to Anna and proceeded to assign the class with their daily practical via whiteboard-drawn instructions. But Anna couldn't focus or find any interest in the lesson. They were boiling salt-water, or something as equally boring. She was staring straight down at the desk, at Elsa's copy of Hamlet. Seeing as the cover was just a black paperback with no image, she knew she wasn't really staring _at _it, but instead thinking about Elsa and what she'd done to make her leave the classroom.

"Are you alright, Anna? You look a little distant," said Kristoff.

Anna looked up to Kristoff, forcing a smile. "Yeah I'm fine."

"Are you sure? I know you don't know me all that well, but I'm happy to listen if you've ever got any problems, or if you just want someone to talk to. You seem like a really nice girl, Anna. A lot nicer than any of the girls I've met in this stupid school."

"What do you mean, nicer than any of the girls you've met here?" Anna queried.

"They're all bitches and, or sluts," he said, narrowing his brows into a frown. "They're all horrible. Never met a decent girl that attends Arendelle High."

"Even Elsa?" Anna asked.

"Elsa?" Kristoff ceased his frowning and stared straight at Anna.

"Yeah. Elsa Khole. Is she like that?"

Kristoff took a moment to reply. "Well, no, maybe not her. But she's completely anti-friendly and completely unapproachable! Why would you ask about her?"

"She didn't seem unapproachable to me _or _anti-friendly," Anna challenged.

"So you're meaning to tell me that you had a full-fledged conversation with Elsa Khole?"

"Well, almost full-fledged?"

"Are we talking about the same Elsa,here? Elsa talks to _no one_. And I mean NO ONE. Probably better off that way anyway."

'_Maybe that's why she was so offended when I asked her if she went out with friends a lot,' _Anna concluded. "Why do you say she's unapproachable?" Anna asked, curiously.

"Because she is?"

"But how?" Anna pushed.

"Why don't you ask her?" Kristoff smirked.

"W-What?" Anna blinked several times.

"You heard me. Ask her yourself and you'll see what I mean," said the boy, smugly.

"Fine. I will," Anna smirked back.

"Bet you wont. Bet you'll pussy out!" Kristoff rolled his eyes.

"I'll take that bet," Anna challenged.

* * *

A date with Hans and an interest in a mysterious blonde, beauty? So much for an easy first day.

Hope you enjoyed! Stay tuned for a soon-to-come Chapter 2 :)


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 here! Enjoy :)

* * *

CHAPTER 2

Anna cradled that copy of Hamlet around for the remainder of the day. It was an excuse to talk to Elsa again when she'd bump into her and maybe even ask her why she'd abruptly left their first class that morning. Anna just desperately wanted to know the girl. Was that really such a bad thing?

It was afternoon lunch – somewhere around 1:50pm (ten minutes until afternoon lunch would end). As instructed earlier that morning, Anna met Hans and Kristoff by the main feature water-fountain in the school courtyard and proceeded to sit with the two boys in the comfort of the heated hall just beside it. She dreaded bracing the cold again now that she'd become acquainted with the indoor warmth.

"What class have you got next, Anna?" Hans asked loudly, hungrily chewing his dishevelled bacon wrap. It smelled so much better than what Anna had eaten: a sweaty, glad-wrapped jam sandwich.

"Uh – none actually. I'm finished for the day! I've got a double-free!" she half-yelled. She could barely hear herself talking over the sound of the school band playing on stage. 'The Mickey Mouse Club', they were called. Kristoff explained that they were preparing for an upcoming school play.

"Oh, sweet!" Hans swallowed. The music stopped. Finally! They were taking a short break. "So how about that movie then? If we head off now we'll avoid all the other students."

"Wait. Movie?" Anna's eyes widened.

"Uh. Yeah – you agreed to go see a movie after school? And since I can't be fucked to go to English, we might as well make use of the time now, right?"

"Oh, right! Sorry, I didn't forget – I was just thinking about something else, I think." Anna felt a little guilty. She didn't like the idea of being apart of this class-tardy business. But she couldn't muster the will to say 'no' when she was so desperate to form new friendships.

"Hans, do you go to _any _of your classes?" Kristoff asked.

"Yeah, when I feel like it."

"Do you _ever _feel like it?" Kristoff scoffed.

"Hey. I attended Math today. Someone should give me a fucking medal for that!" he frowned, stuffing his face with the wrap again. Bits of chewed wrap and bacon started spraying from Hans' mouth when he continued, "Hey, Anna – how about you go get your stuff and meet me by the school archway in fifteen?"

Anna was staring at him as a piece of bacon narrowly missed her face. "You mean the main gate, right?"

"That's the one!"

"Sure thing. Will Kristoff be joining us?" she asked, looking to the blonde.

"Even if I was invited – I can't. I've got swimming practice after school. Thank fuck that pool is heated. _And _indoors! Can you imagine swimming out there in that icy weather?"

"Your testicles would probably anchor you to the bottom of the pool," Hans laughed, swallowing his food.

"Good one," the blonde grinned. "But in all seriousness – hope you two enjoy your afternoon. You'll need to tell me all about it. Speaking of which, do you have instant messenger, Anna?" the blonde looked hopefully at her.

"Sure! I'll add you. What's your username?" the girl unzipped the mouth of her pencil case and slipped her hand in to retrieve a pen.

"It'll write it for you," he said, outstretching his arm. "Because... I'd rather not say it out loud."

Not questioning it, Anna handed Kristoff the pen and one of her work-books. With a quick few scratches from the pen, the boy returned the belongings to Anna and grinned childishly at her. Anna read the chicken scratch as, 'Toffy96'.

"Uh..." her voice trailed. "Did you make an error here?"

"Not on the paper, no. I made a typo when I made the account name though. Thought I was being cool, knowing what sixty-nine meant when I was ten. Now it's just lame and embarrassing. Don't tell anyone," he said, smiling at her.

"Why not just change it then?" Anna wondered.

"Sentimental value? That and I can't be fucked re-adding everyone again."

"Fair enough." She smiled back. The Mickey Mouse Club had started playing again. That was Anna's queue to leave. "Alright, talk to you later Kristoff! Good luck with your swimming practice. Don't freeze your balls off!"

"I told you! It's heated," the blonde exclaimed.

Anna laughed.

"See you in fifteen, Anna," said a barely audible Hans, waving his hand as a gesture of goodbye.

With that, she took her leave and headed off to find her locker. Luckily for her, it was right beside the entrance to the school, so she'd never have trouble remembering where it was. Her fingertips were freezing – lucky she'd remembered to pack that warm pair of knitted gloves. '_Far out! I'm going to turn to ice!' _she thought, slipping her fingers through to the ends of the gloves. She packed her bag and slumped the strap over her shoulder with ease, sealing up her locker for the day. It had gone so fast, and surprisingly more smoothly than she'd imagined. She had already made new friends and had a rough idea of the schools general layout.

As she turned to take her leave, from the corner of her eye, she spotted the mysterious, blonde beauty at the very opposite end of the corridor. Her stomach fluttered lightly with butterflies. It was Elsa. _'Be cool! Don't just run up to her,' _Anna thought, analysing every possible aspect of conversation that could have arisen. She imagined the worst and the best outcome from her approaching the blonde. Although she analysed the possible outcomes, she still couldn't wrap her head around her reason for giving a damn! What did she hope would come from her efforts? A new best friend? No... it felt different to that...

_ 'Pull yourself together, Anna. It's now or never. What's the worst that could happen? She'll tell you to fuck off or something. Bah! This is so stupid,'_ she thought, heading slowly toward the young woman who was storing away some text books into her own locker.

Anna felt her legs locking up when she was within earshot. _'Fuck, this is so stupid! What the hell am I doing? What's wrong with me?' _But before she knew it, she was at Elsa's side. Now she had no choice but to speak to her, right? Her heart sunk as she found herself muttering a soft and guilty, "Hey."

Elsa's eyes quickly flicked from her locker to Anna like darts to a bullseye. Her expression was painted with concern. Or was that worry? Anna couldn't quite figure it out, which was strange. She was usually quite good at reading people. "Oh. Hello again," Elsa mumbled as she stared at Anna.

A silence followed. Anna's bottom jaw hung open slightly. Her lips were mouthing words, but no sound accompanied it. She was choking on every attempt to speak!

"Are you alright?" Elsa finally asked her, arching a single brow.

Anna blinked rapidly, straightening herself up as thought snapping back to her senses. "Y-Yeah! You forgot your copy of Hamlet earlier today, so I wanted to return it to you," she said, reaching around for her backpack. After a quick scramble, she found the book and offered it back to Elsa, whom thanked her as she took it.

"Well, thank you for remembering to return it to me," said Elsa.

"It's my pleasure! I mean. Um. Look..." there was no right way of saying it. "I'm really sorry if I offended you this morning," she said, nervously jigsawing her fingers together at waist-level. Elsa was shaking her head. "I never meant to offend you or make you feel-"

"No, no," Elsa cut in. "You have nothing to apologise for... You didn't offend me."

"I didn't?" Anna tilted her head. '_What the hell? Then what!?'_

"No." Elsa forced a smile and peeled her eyes from Anna, returning her attention to her locker to withdraw several text books and her backpack.

Anna continued to stare blankly at the blonde. Her mouth was bobbing closed and open again, like a dumbstruck goldfish. "So uh... Are you finished for the day too?" she concluded from the blonde packing. But that wasn't what she wanted to say. She wanted to know why Elsa had left that morning, especially if it wasn't due to anything she'd said.

"Mhm," Elsa hummed.

"What are your plans for tonight?"

"I need to get home and start dinner before my step-father returns home from work."

"Yeesh! You have to cook for your step father?" Anna asked.

"Mhm," Elsa hummed again.

"Well, what about after that?" Anna looked hopeful.

Mid packing her backpack, Elsa stopped and looked at Anna with a strong confusion. "Pardon?"

'_Shit, Anna. Don't come off as being so desperate!' _the young woman told herself. "I mean, what are you doing after you cook dinner?"

"Nothing," the blonde quickly replied, returning her attention to her backpack.

"If you aren't busy, would you like to... you know, hang out?" Anna braced herself for rejection once again. "I don't mean anything wild! I don't do wild. Maybe a movie at my house? Just get to know one another? Talk and eat chocolate and icecream?"

"As delightful as that sounds, I'm afraid I can't. My step-father is very strict when it comes to my curfew and school days."

"Well, I guess it _is _a Thursday night. What time is your curfew?" Anna asked, while desperately trying to mask the presence of defeat on her face. She did it very well.

"Early."

"How early?"

The blonde slammed her locker closed, swiftly sealing the lock. She pulled her backpack onto her shoulder and looked to Anna nonchalantly, replying, "You just can't take 'no' for an answer, can you, Anna?" There was a brief silence between the two as their eyes locked. But Anna was the first to break eye contact. She looked to the ground with a sense of guilt. She started to realise her desperation not to _sound _desperate had failed. She didn't want to come across as a lunatic on her first day of school! After a few seconds of awkward silence, Elsa continued. "Nine."

"Your curfew?" said Anna, looking up with eager eyes.

"Yes. My curfew is nine. So where will I be meeting you, Miss Anna?" Elsa asked, sighing.

"Oh! Uhm. I'll give you my number! And you can send me yours and I'll direct you where to go. I live on Greenacre Road. Number twelve Greenacre Road."

"Two streets away from where I live. I know it, so directions wont be necessary," said Elsa.

"Really? That's great!" '_Stop sounding like that, Anna!' _she winced mentally. "I mean. That's good that you live so close. Well, will five give you enough time to make dinner and meet me at mine?"

"Six would be more appropriate for me," the blonde replied, averting her eyes from the conversation as she withdrew her mobile phone from the pocket in her skirt. She sighed more heavily than before. Anna couldn't quite understand why the blonde was acting so displaced by her offer. "Alright then... what is your number, Anna?"

"0499909!" Anna chanted. She could barely contain herself as the blonde entered the digits into her phone.

When Elsa was finished, she flashed the red-haired youth a quick smile and said, "Well, I suppose I will see you at six, Anna."

"It will be fun," Anna boasted.

"I'm sure," Elsa turned and began walking away.

Anna was close to breaking out into a dance when the blonde wasn't looking. Had the time not have been 2:05pm, she probably would have! '_Shit! I am meant to be meeting Hans right about now!' _With that, she bolted for the school archway, almost slipping on ice in her careless rush. As expected, Hans was already waiting under the archway, staring out toward the roads and traffic beyond the school boarder.

Anna breathed an exhausted, "Sorry!" as she approached him, hunching forward to catch her breath.

"Oh, there you are! Was beginning to think you'd died on the way to your locker or something," he said. "Do you drive?"

Anna straightened up. "What, me?" she blinked, placing her hand upon her chest.

"Who else would I be talking to?" the brunette grinned.

"Sorry. What am I saying? No. I don't drive," she said, starting to catch her breath.

"Good – means we can take my car," Hans finished, starting to walk away from Anna. Anna followed after him at a quick pace. "You seem a bit giddy. What's the deal?" the brunette asked, glancing over-shoulder to check she was still there.

"No deal!" Anna's mouth unwillingly stretched into a grin.

"Really?" the boy forced a quick 'ha'. "Did you have a movie in mind that you might've wanted to see?"

"Uhm. I'm fine with anything! Something that isn't psychologically draining."

"I've got something in mind!"

You know those moments when you're so wound up, you over-analyse every thought and feeling about a particular situation? That's what Anna was experiencing with Elsa. It was at that point between walking from school to Hans' car that Anna started dismissing the idea that she may have found something about the blonde woman 'attractive'. '_That's stupid. You don't even know her,' _she told herself. '_You're just missing Elizabeth. You're fixating too hard on finding a replacement... yeah that's it.' _Her best friend _did _look somewhat like Elsa. Elizabeth was not at beautiful on the exterior, but very sensible in every sense of the word with similar mannerisms to the blonde beauty. She was Anna's rock. One person she was able to confide in and trust whole-heartedly with any thought or feeling. She couldn't wait to speak to Elizabeth later that night to talk about her day.

Finally they'd arrived at Hans' car. It was an old, white Toyota Ute. It was seriously in need of a paint job. Half of the bonnet paint had been peeled and scratched away! Anna carefully opened her door, scared the whole thing would fall to pieces if she pulled too hard, then quickly jumped in.

"Just a heads up," said Hans as he started the ignition.

"Mm?"

"Students aren't actually allowed to drive to school. The teachers hate it. Especially Mrs Haddon. That bitch has given me _three _after-school detentions for parking out front of the school! Don't ask me why! But they're cunts about us parking anywhere near there."

"That's insane! Mrs. Haddon is my English teacher."

"She is?" Hans burst into a fit of laughter as he attempted to reverse the car from his temporary parking spot. "Get on that woman's bad side and you're in for it. She'll make your year with her a living hell."

"How would I get on her bad side?" Anna panicked.

"Skipping classes, swearing, eating in class or not completing your assignments. Basic shit."

"I wont be doing any of that," Anna smiled, fastening her seatbelt.

"So you're a goody-two-shoes?" The boy started to drive.

Anna looked to her side, staring at Hans' massive grin before she scoffed. "What? No!" Her brows bent into a frown.

"Sounds like you are. Okay then, what's the most adventurous thing you've ever done?" Hans was too fixated on the road and entering into the flow of traffic to notice Anna's frowning expression.

Come to think of it... Hans was pretty darn right! Anna hadn't done anything adventurous at all in her lifetime, other than her sexual escapades with Fin. She didn't drink, smoke or dabble in any drugs. She didn't skip classes or play any foul pranks on friends. Maybe she really _was _a goody-two-shoes! "I... I don't know. I don't know what type of adventurous we're talking about here."

"Eh. I'll give it a week."

"A week? Till what?" Anna felt somewhat puzzled.

"Till you're tainted by the people of Arendelle!"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not the type to get easily tainted, Hans!" she said teasingly.

"Hm. We'll see," he challenged. "So – how was your first day?"

"Eventful," Anna replied. She didn't feel it was wise to readily divulge the details of her first day to Hans. But why did she feel that it was such a bad thing to do so..? Was she just being wary? She had no reason to be.

"Just 'eventful'? No details?" he pried.

"Nope. None!" Anna wore a mighty proud grin.

The boy sunk back in his chair and continued to drive until they'd reached the mall. Seeing as school was still commencing, it wasn't difficult to find a parking space close to the door. Anna quickly figured that the layout of the shopping Mall was similar to the one back home in Icerow. They entered in on the third level where the greasy food court resided. Hans had offered to buy Anna a cheeseburger, which she politely declined. So instead he purchased one for himself and a small chocolate thick-shake to wash it down.

"Mm! This is good," he said, stuffing his face. "So I was thinking the new Godzilla movie looked good!" he said.

Anna felt her lip drawing back as a sign of detest. "Uhh..." But it wasn't in her nature to put others out. "Sounds interesting!"

"Awesome!" Hans exclaimed. "My shout!"

Sitting in the large (and not surprisingly), empty theatre, Anna paid no attention to the tragic screenplay that played out before her eyes. Sure, the computer generated effects were astounding, but the acting was just woeful. She was constantly checking her phone, watching the time and asking herself, '_Is this ever going to end?' _Hans was pretty engrossed in the film.

It was about mid-way through the film that Hans lassoed his arm around Anna's shoulder, drawing her beneath his armpit. She blinked as he did so. She felt _so _uncomfortable. What the hell was that about anyway? She barely _knew _this guy! She sat there for what felt like minutes, until his hand glided across her leg, sending a warm flush through her thighs. '_Oh God. No. No, no, no. What the hell is wrong with this guy!? I need to get out of here,' _she thought. "I need to pee," she announced, liberating herself from the situation. '_Smoothe, Anna...'_

Hans released his hold on Anna and cocked his head. "Uh – you'll miss the film?"

"I'm bursting," she said sternly.

"Okay..?"

"And I'm feeling pretty gassy!"

"Thanks for sharing, Anna," Hans laughed.

Anna scampered out from the dark cinema into the desolate hall, making a break for the bathroom. As expected, the bathroom was empty, so Anna had her choice of stalls. '_Far out,' _she thought. '_What a day..' _Surely the young man was dreaming if he thought he'd have any chance of swooning Anna within hours of knowing her. What kind of person would make such a bold move within a day of meeting someone!? "Ugh..." Anna slumped down onto the toilet, burying her face into her hands. "This sucks."

* * *

Not so many streets away, a nervous Elsa stood before her own reflection in the mirror of her bedroom, idle as she studied her face while she recited what play on words she'd use on Duke to 'go out' that evening. "Would it be alright if I..?" she stopped and scrunched her face in disgust. "No. Shit. I can't do it. He'll say 'no' for certain! Why did I agree to this? This is why you can't _be _friendly to people, Elsa! Why was she so desperate to spend tonight with me anyway?" After taking a long, deep breath, she opened her eyes, looking at her reflection again. Her school uniform was still pristine – not a crease in place. "Keep it together. Keep calm. There is nothing worse he could do to you than he's already done, Elsa," she told herself.

She was alone in that large home. But only for a short while. Duke was due to arrive at 4:30 on the dot. Elsa was constantly watching the clock on her bedroom wall. It read 4:20pm. She knew that the water she'd left on the stove top would have been close to boiling point. It would only take her a further 10 minutes to finish preparing Dukes dinner – which he'd likely make wait until 5:30pm. He always did.

"Okay. You can do this," she said once more, smiling at her reflection. She quickly made her way downstairs, back to the kitchen to reduce the heat of the stove. As expected, the water was boiling. She poured in over a serving worth of pasta, which took no time at all to soften.

At exactly 4:30pm, Elsa heard the familiar sound of the garage door opening. That was her queue to quickly add the elements of Duke's meal together and present it upon the dining table, where she would wait, ready to greet him.

She picked up the hot bowl and rushed down the hall, into the dining room, quickly setting out the silverware and Duke's napkin at the head of the table. It was presented beautifully. She quickly brushed a stray bang away from her eyes and tucked it behind her ear, stiffening with a straight posture as he entered. '_Keep calm. Don't look nervous...'_ she told herself.

The elder was wearing a look of exhaustion. That made Elsa's heart sink. It was never a good sign. "Good afternoon, sir," she said softly, hoping to soothe him.

He took off his shoes in the hallway and looked between Elsa and the meal she'd prepared him. "What did you make for me today, dear?" he asked endearingly. That was a shock. Elsa expected him to be much more cold. He walked over to the dining table and sat down in his seat.

_'He... he never eats before five thirty...' _Her mind was racing. _"_O-Oh. Just a very simple simple pasta dish with olives, basil and fresh tomatoes," she said.

"Mm! Sounds wonderful! Take a seat," he gestured to the chair by his side. "Sit with me while I eat. I didn't have _any _time to eat lunch during my lunch break. Wasn't even really a 'break'," he said.

Elsa complied with Duke's wishes and sat beside the head of the table. She looked around the dining table and the vacant eight seats, thinking, '_My mother would never have wanted something this extravagant...' _Her mother was such a kind and simple woman. How did she ever end up with someone like Duke!?

"Busy day?" Elsa asked.

"Very. I'm working on a monstrous case at the moment! It would appear from the view of my client, that she has been framed for the murder of her husband, Woody Andrews - The old chap who owned the Pizza Planet food chain. But I do suppose, with a closing bank statement of thirty-two million dollars, it isn't a wonder she is suspected. Pretty young girl – 30 years younger than he was..." he grinned. "We all know what she was thinking when the lights went out."

"You think she did it?" Elsa asked, trying to sound interested. She didn't _really _have any interest in the matter. She had never been to Pizza Planet anyway!

"Of course I do. But my job is to ensure her sorry ass isn't imprisoned. At the end of the day, I will win. I know I will, because I always win."

That he did. Not only was he the darling of Arendelle due to his crazy hospitality and fund-raising for the cancer foundation, but Duke's full time occupation was a lawyer for one of the best law firms in the country! Who'd have ever thought such a valuable individual was so downright sick...

"What about you, dear? How was your day?" he asked, forcing a fork-full of pasta past his lips.

He never asked how Elsa's day was. Ever. "Very ordinary – but a good day. In fact, I was hoping to ask you something regarding it..."

"Oh..? And what would that be?"

"I do not ask for much, but I would like to request that..." her voice trailed.

"Mm..?"

Her eyes locked with his. She panicked. "Could I join the debating team? The meeting starts at six tonight." Elsa felt her stomach knotting violently. She'd lied. Right through her teeth, straight to Duke's face for the first time in her life. He was staring at her. Straight into her eyes with an unmoving face. Could he sense she was lying? Did she look worried? '_Shit... what have you done, Elsa!?'_ she swallowed.

The corner of Duke's mouth curled into a devious smile. "That sounds like a brilliant idea."

"I-It does?"

"Of course. I don't know why I never thought of it myself..."

He knew damn well why. "So, you'll let me go?"

"Of course. I can drop you off, just to be safe," he smiled at her.

'_Shit,'_ she hadn't thought that far ahead. But where there was a will, there was a way... "I am thankful, sir," she bowed her head.

"I suppose I mustn't waste any time then! Be a dear and run me a nice, warm bath, Elsa," said Duke.

"Of course, sir," she said, getting up from the table.

She did it. She would have freedom that night. Even if it was only for a few hours. Whatever foul, sexual intensity he'd force unto her body while he 'bathed' would be worth that moment where she would feel... normal.

* * *

Thank you for reading!

Reviews are much appreciated, but otherwise, thank you for being patient, Fanfiction and I hope you enjoyed!

Yes - Woody Andrews is exactly who you think! =)


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